Causing a motor to be rotated by rotation of the wheels such that the motor is utilized as a power generator has become known as regeneration. Electrical energy generated by the regeneration is used for charging a rechargeable battery. Further, the regeneration is controlled by a vehicle control device installed in the vehicle, and is performed when a predetermined driving condition is satisfied.
When the vehicle performs the regeneration while traveling downhill, potential energy based on a height difference of the downhill can be recovered as the electrical energy. However, when the rechargeable battery is fully charged while the vehicle is traveling downhill, the energy generated by the regeneration needs to be discharged, for example, as heat. As a countermeasure, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a charge level of the rechargeable battery is reduced before the downhill so as to increase efficiency of the regeneration.